


Stay with Him

by GypsyDanger



Category: Constantine (TV)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Multi, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-24 13:09:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14356167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GypsyDanger/pseuds/GypsyDanger
Summary: John is struggling following New Orleans from episode 1x13. His friends are concerned, as is John's mom, and they are determined to stay with him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own, or profit from any of the Characters herein that were created for the television show Constantine, or any other media that has featured these characters. 
> 
> This is a work in progress, and I do not yet know where it is going. I have rated this mature due to the potential triggers of child abuse, as well as the inherent faults (Lovable though they may be) attributed to the characters. May contain graphic intimacy later within.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

The Mill House had gone quiet in the days following the recent case in New Orleans. Following the little girls. This case had injured John in a way that the others hadn’t seen before. The lovable curmudgeon had been cold, distant, and silent. Concern was hovering around Zed and Chas like a cloud and it was becoming oppressive. Zed was inches from calling Annie in Mexico and begging her for help despite the other woman’s obvious love-hate emotions concerning John Bloody Constantine. 

“I say we go in there and beat it out of him” Zed deadpanned.

Chas sighed, “Wouldn’t work”

“Hmph!” Zed pouted, and then the silence returned briefly before she spoke again, “We should at least check on him. He hasn’t eaten in days. At the very least his cigarette and booze stash has got to be running very low”

Chas hesitated before nodding and together the pair rose from their respective seats in the makeshift library and headed toward John’s room. 

Zed knocked softly, “Constantine? Constantine open the door! You’ve been in there long enough!”

Silence pervaded the space on both sides of the door before Chas lost his temper, and in a fit of concerned rage he kicked the door in, and barged inside. But the vision before them was enough to stop both of John’s friends in their tracks, and their mouths dropped open.

John was sleeping. and beside him was a fine boned, blonde woman with familiar brown eyes set in her pretty face. Her form was accented only very slightly in a green mist for Zed’s eyes, and for Chas who’d seen more supernatural beings than most, knew when to recognize a spirit.

The female turned and smirked softly, “Close your mouths...there are no flies about for you to catch. Have a seat, I am afraid John isn’t awake”

“You’re-”

“Joanna...John’s mum, dear. And you are Zed?”

“Yes, Ma’am”

Chas frowned, “Forgive me if this is rude, but what are you doing here?”

Joanna released a soft sigh, “I worry for him. I am often with him”

Zed swallowed, “This last one in New Orleans did a number on him. Is he going to be alright?”

The spirit hesitated, “I hope so. John hides so much of himself it is difficult to tell how wounded he is at any given time. It’s for that reason that I am grateful that he has those who refuse to leave him. He’s been hurt too much, from too early an age by people who should love him that he expects it from everyone, and so does the best he can to injure first”  
Chas snorted, “Figured that out a long time ago, ma’am. Luckily for him I have a thick skin, and I know his tricks too well”

Joanna chuckled, “You’re quite persistent and very resilient. A necessity where my son is concerned. And you...” she addressed Zed, “You are just as guarded and wounded as John in some ways. It’s good for him. Gives him a taste of his own medicine”

Zed had to smile at the woman’s honesty concerning John and she turned her eyes toward the mage and her eyes softened in concern again. He was thinner, and though he was sleeping he seemed greatly troubled.

“There are others who care for him...”

Joanna sighed, “You refer to Annie, and his old team? Yes, they do care for him in their own way. But they have allowed themselves to be pushed away from John. Which is not completely their fault. He makes it difficult to stay near him, but you have to be made of stronger spirits than his old friends to stay with him. He’s a difficult one, my son”

Zed swallowed, “He misses you. He wants to see you”

Joanna nodded, “He wants to, but he’s guarding himself too tightly to allow him to see me. He’s afraid I’ll hurt him like his father did. And he would not be able to handle that”

Chas narrowed his eyes, “And would you? Hurt him like that?”

Joanna turned with a smile, but her eyes were sad, “Never. I have loved him his entire life. No matter what he does, he is my son, and I am proud of him. I have regretted nothing more than leaving him”

Chas relaxed some and Zed watched her mentor, friend and pain in the ass sleep for a moment before asking, “How do we help him?”

Joanna reached out to touch her son’s face for a moment before standing, “Keep pushing. Stay with him. Unfortunately that is all I can offer, not even I have all of the answers concerning John Constantine. Now, I must go, but I am never far from John, nor you”

And then she was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

For a time Zed and Chas sat together in John’s bedroom, with only John’s rhythmic breathing breaking the silence. It wasn’t that the pair disbelieved in what they had just witnessed as they’d seen too many ‘inexplicable’ things in their time spent together with John and apart. It was that they both felt like they were on the edge of an enormous decision with a great weight pressing in upon them.

But all it took was watching the man each was inexplicably drawn to to make up their minds. They would stay. Come hell, or heaven they would stay with John Constantine regardless of whether they happened to pass from their current lives into the next ahead of John. They would stay with him like his mother stayed. And why? Because they loved him.

It was a decision that neither had to vocalize, it took but a glance between the pair before they knew of the choice each had made.

The silence was no longer deafening and oppressive, but a kind of calming ritual. The tension wasn’t completely gone, but more relieved, and ebbing away. All that was left was to see if they could reach in and find where their friend was hiding, grasp him by the hands and pull him back into the battle they’d begun together.

John Constantine, however, contrary bastard such as he was seemed completely unaware of, or uncaring of the momentous decision Chas and Zed had come to. Zed had to smile and chuckle under her breath that it was likely the latter.

Chas rolled his eyes in amusement that at times he knew he shouldn’t feel around the other man; but felt nonetheless.

The larger of the two men stood from his seat and walked over to the bed before he began prying liquor bottles, cigarettes, and an ashtray from John’s messy bed. It took both Zed and Chas a trip from the room to deposit all of the trash into the bin. Zed made a detour by the bathroom and soaked a wash cloth in cool water while has filled a glass with water and set it and a bottle of aspirin on the mage’s side table. 

Zed cleaned off John’s face and then together she and Chas bullied, manhandled and yanked until John was laying in a more comfortable position with the covers pulled over him.

Chas made sure the curtains were closed and that all lights were currently doused; before he took great pleasure in breaking the lock on John’s door. Even though Chas knew that John could restore the lock again with magic the symbolism was clear; John’s friends would no longer allow him to hide away from them.

They were ready to help whether he wanted them to, or not.

A soft, but determined glance passed between Chas and the seer before they left the room and closed the door behind them. They’d be back.


	3. Chapter 3

“Bloody Hell” grumbled John. as an annoying stream of sunlight insisted on shining right in his eyes. Strange, because John specifically remembered closing the blinds in his room to avoid such a problem. But somehow the blinds had managed to open themselves in the span of time he’d been so blissfully passed out. 

In the mage’s life it would not be considered the strangest thing for the blinds to have actually opened themselves. In fact, John had once seen a can of tuna open itself because an errant spirit had wanted to feed their cat. Poor sodden bird that she was.

More likely, however, the blinds had found their way open due to nosy, unwanted and woefully concerned people who called themselves John’s friends.

Sleep had escaped him, but John was buggered if he was going to make this easy for the nosy blighters. 

Dragging himself into a seated position John noted the ripe odor drifting from the bed, and himself, that would need to be dealt with at some point. Perhaps if he waited long enough one of his associates would make themselves useful and take care of one of those problems for him. Perhaps both problems if he was really lucky. The mage wasn’t even particular on which one did the washing. He wasn’t particular concerning his bed mates; why would he be particular regarding someone giving him a bath?

John lit a cigarette with a swish of his lighter, and noted with some disgust that it was his last one. Well that blew. He would have to get up and a least fetch himself some more of those. And it seemed that his liquor bottles, like his blinds had mysteriously moved themselves. Well that just wouldn’t do.

Standing, and now thoroughly hung over, and, in his mind rightfully annoyed, Constantine stormed over to the door way of his room and shouted, “OI! One of you tossers wanna make yourselves useful, like you apparently were last night, and get me some cigarettes?!”

Downstairs Zed and Chas just glared up the stairs at their belligerent friend. There was gratitude for you! But what more did they expect from the troublesome bastard?

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews are always welcome, however, if they are nasty in nature, I reserve the right to remove said review! Thanks for stopping by.


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